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After campfire-cooked eggs and bacon, I set out on a short walk around the premises. Camelot is a cabin owned by the MIT Outing Club, and sits on a nice parcel of wooded land with relaxed trails to stroll around.
In an odd coincidence, when I mentioned to my sister that I'd be in New Hampshire this weekend, she said she'd be rock climbing at Rumney Rocks at the same time. We'd made plans to meet up and do some climbing. I had trouble finding out exactly where Rumney Rocks was, though, so I set out to try to find it.
It was a much more involved process than I expected. I knew that the climbing site was in White Mountains National Forest, but the White Mountains maps that I'd seen didn't have the site marked or just indicated a general area with no real indication on which roads to take to get there. I figured the rangers would be able to tell me, and I'd seen signs for the National Forest Headquarters as I drove in last night. Unfortunately, on arriving at the Headquarters, I discovered that they were closed on weekends.
The guy manning a nearby regional information center was able to tell me that the climbing area was West of Rumney proper, and told me that it was just off of Highway 25 and well signed. So I rode over there to check it out. I didn't see any signs (though there were plenty for other attractions), and when I was sure I'd overshot, I stopped at a general store and asked. A woman there told me that I had to go into Rumney town and then take a left and there'd be a sign there. I didn't see a sign in Rumney either, and when I asked at a cafe, I was told that I couldn't get there from here, because the road had been washed out by Hurricane Irene. Happily, the guy at the cafe gave me specific directions to get in by the back way, including the names of roads!
In case you ever need to get to Rumney Rocks Climbing area, here are directions:
On Highway 25 there is a flashing light at the entrance to Rumney. If you head into town, you'll travel along Main St. Take a left on Buffalo St, drive 1.1mi and you'll arrive at Rumney Rocks on your right.
If the road from Rumney is closed, start at the flashing light on Highway 25. Drive 3.2mi west on Highway 25 and make a right on Sand Hill road. You'll cross a green metal bridge and make the first right onto Buffalo Road. Rumney Rocks is 2.5mi along Buffalo Road.
The main parking area is at N43 48.108 W71 50.060, and there's an additional parking area at N43 48.129 W71 49.841 (0.2mi closer to Rumney along Buffalo Road).
My sister's car was in the parking area, so I left her a note and returned to the cabin for more hanging out and campfire-cooked food.
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